Dry Fly/Dry Dropper is for dry fly fishing on the Yakima River, I like to use a 4-5 weight medium-fast to fast action rod. Tippet size is 3x-5x depending on the time of year.
We can get by with heavier tippets in the summer when the flows are higher because the river is higher and slightly off-color. During the fall when the river is low and gin clear, I will run down to 4x and 5x when fishing for leery trout eating small dries.
We don’t want anything too heavy or ultra-fast when fishing a dry fly/dry dropper setup because we are trying to get a nice, clean presentation.
Ultra-fast rods also do not have any tippet protection because they do not flex like slower action rods do. Leave the ultra-fast action rods for saltwater fishing and streamer fishing for predatory fish.
If you are smacking the water too hard with the flies or you cannot mend without dragging your fly, then there is no point in having a faster action rod or anything heavier than a 5-weight. A lot of rods can cast across the river but I always ask someone who is looking at buying a new rod, “Do you want to cast or do you want to fish?” 4-weights do a good job of presenting the fly naturally on the water, and since we are not having to turn over big or heavy flies, a 4-weight or fiberglass rod excels at presenting dries. Fiberglass rods tend to be slow to medium action rods.
Scientific Anglers (SA) lines are second to none in the industry. For dry fly fishing, I recommend using the MPX, Infinity, VPT, or Boost. Also, look at the Amplitude and Amplitude Smooth series in these tapers.
They have a new resin that is very slick and continuously works itself out of the line. The Amplitude is also a textured line so it creates less surface area when casting and pulling off the water. If you don’t like the textured lines the Amplitude Smooth has the resin but not the texture. Personally, I like the texture, it adds extra distance to your cast.
If you like Rio lines best I would recommend the Rio Gold or the Presentation for medium fast action rods. For a slower action use the Presentation, it isn’t as aggressive and will cast better for a slower action rod